UN IIP Certificate
Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) is a premier national organization striving for improved packaging standards in India. IIP is a responsible body for the packaging sector. One of its most important tasks among numerous of them is providing a UN IIP Certificate, which is a mandatory certificate for safe transportation of hazardous material.
IIP UN Mark Certificate is also called the UN Certificate and it is required in air and sea shipping of hazardous products. The Indian Institute of Packaging is the institution that issues the certificate after it has tested sample packages comprehensively to ensure that they meet the United Nations (UN) standards in shipping hazardous products. The basic purpose is to make the packaging strong enough to withstand a variety of environmental conditions, stresses most likely to be encountered during shipping, and leak-proof to some extent.
The UN packaging code is the only feature of this certification. It is an individual mark on approved packages, which implies that the package went through all the tests as defined by the UN for transport of hazardous materials by air or land. The mark gives assurance to shipping and receiving authorities like the Director-General of Shipping and Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and carriers that the products are prepared to be loaded into planes or vessels.
IIP UN Mark Certificate can be used on various types of different packages like:
The UN IIP Certificate includes transportation of the nine classes of dangerous articles classified according to international regulations. Such nine classes are given below:
The availability of the UN IIP Certificate has numerous major benefits as given below:
The procedure to obtain the IIP UN Mark Certificate is a well-organized, three-step process meant to promote optimal safety and compliance. It begins with submitting the official application, then follows with testing, which is most critical in terms of evaluation, and ends with issuing the final certificate.
The applicant, either being a packager or a manufacturer by default, must collect all the documents required legally and technically beforehand. They are the GST Registration Certificate, IEC (Import-Export Code), PAN card, company registration (such as Certificate of Incorporation, MOA/AOA), and canceled cheque copy. This is to verify if the applicant is a legally compliant business entity.
An important aspect of the application is the submission of detailed technical information about the package and contents. This includes a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the hazardous contents being packaged.
The candidate completes a proper application form and submits it with all the documents and technical details as stipulated by the Indian Institute of Packaging. This is done at any IIP regional office or their personal online portal if made available.
Once the application has been made, the applicant has to make the payment of the applicable fees. IIP structures the fees based on the package and the kind of tests to be performed. The payment has to be done in order to begin the testing process.
The candidate submits the stipulated quantity of package samples to a recognized IIP laboratory. These would be the same as the samples that would be produced for sale. The samples are couriered or picked up by the candidate.
The IIP laboratory performs a series of UN-not prescribed performance tests on the package samples. The tests are intended to mimic the different stresses and environmental exposures to which the package would be subjected during transport.
Once the tests are completed, the technical experts of the IIP review the test results. They verify if the sample of the package has undergone all the tests as per the UN standards. Fault in any one of the tests will lead to rejection of the package for certification.
IIP provides a comprehensive "Test Report" covering the outcome of all the performance tests. It is a technical report of the package's compliance. This testing report is mandatory and without obtaining this one cannot obtain this certification called as UN IIP Certificate.
Once the application is submitted with all the requirements and IIP finds it as per the standards, then it will generate a specific UN Mark number for the particular package design. It is the sole identifier that will be displayed on all approved packages.
The applicant is issued with the UN IIP Mark Certificate formally. The certificate is the legal authority for the manufacturer to manufacture packs of the given design and use the authorized UN Mark on them. The manufacturer is accountable for the fact that all batches of the approved packages, produced thereafter, are made of the same materials and specifications as the sample used in testing.
In order to secure the UN IIP Certificate, the following documents are typically needed:
UN IIP Certificate is a very significant certificate to individuals who are required to handle packaging and transportation of dangerous materials in India. Apart from ensuring conformity with international safety standards, it also reflects the image of Indian-origin packaging all over the world. In enabling that packages can endure matters of transport, it plays a major role in preventing accidents and in ensuring transportation of commerce across international borders is safe. Certification is an assurance of quality and safety pledge in packages.
No, it is required only for packages containing dangerous or hazardous goods that are transported by air or by sea.
The certificate validity exists in the ongoing production of the packages with the same specifications, product, and other characteristics as stated in the initial application.
No, the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) is the only Indian organization that has been licensed by the Government for issuing the UN Mark Certificate for packaging hazardous goods.
This cargo will be refused to be handled by maritime and air transport carriers. It is against international law to ship hazardous material in unauthorized shipments and will have severe repercussions, including prosecution and penalization.
No, the certificate is really stamped on the packaging itself and not on the hazardous product itself. The UN Mark certificate certifies the safety and integrity of the container.